


Messrs Parrish and Stilinski

by Diary



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Agnostic Character, Agnostic Jordan Parrish, Awkwardness, Bechdel Test Fail, Bisexual Jordan Parrish, Bisexual Sheriff Stilinski, Bisexual Stiles Stilinski, Character of Faith, Christian Character, Domestic Fluff, Established Jordan Parrish/Sheriff Stilinski, Established Relationship, Families of Choice, Father-Son Relationship, Friendship/Love, Interspecies Romance, Late Night Conversations, Lydia Martin & Jordan Parrish Friendship, Marriage, Minor Angst, Minor Character Death, Minor Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, POV Bisexual Character, POV Jordan Parrish, POV Male Character, POV Nonhuman, Past Child Abuse, Past Claudia Stilinski/Sheriff Stilinski - Freeform, Past Relationship(s), Post-Canon, Religious Discussion, Romance, Scars, Sharing a Bed, Stilinski Family Feels, Vaguely Catholic Sheriff Stilinski
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-18
Updated: 2017-11-18
Packaged: 2019-02-04 02:56:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12761655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Diary/pseuds/Diary
Summary: “Have you ever wanted something that you didn’t know you wanted until you were presented with the possibility of having it?” Complete.





	Messrs Parrish and Stilinski

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Teen Wolf.

Waking up to the alarm buzzing, Jordan mumbles, “Thought we had today off.”

Sitting up, Noah apologetically says, “We do. Sorry, I forgot to turn it off last night.”

Once it’s off, he pulls Noah back down and settles Noah’s arm back over his chest.

In his mostly still-asleep state, he’s not surprised when there’s a chuckle, a kiss on his cheek, and Noah sitting back up. “I’ll make breakfast.”

“And I’ll continue to sleep,” he insists.

…

It takes about fifteen minutes for him to give up and stumble into the kitchen.

“You know, I used to be a morning person,” he says. “Your bad habits have rubbed off on me.”

Kissing him, Noah hands him a glass of orange juice. “You might have been before we started, but between the two of us, you’ve always had more trouble getting out of bed than me.”

“Because of you. Everything is your fault this morning.”

“You’re welcome for the delicious breakfast, then,” is Noah’s wry response.

Jordan fully intends to remain grouchy at having his plans for sleeping late and, possibly, staying in bed even later after waking up ruined, but Noah still makes the best chocolate pancakes he’s ever had, and the sausage and eggs get his energy up.

“I was thinking, do you want to see if Stiles and Derek would be up for dinner tonight? Maybe Tammy’s?”

Noah nods. “Sounds great. What all do we need to get at the store?”

…

Stiles approves of his relationship with Noah.

This doesn’t mean Stiles doesn’t give him and Noah, mostly him, a hard time on occasion.

“Explain to me again why you’re not going with my dad tomorrow.”

“Stiles,” Noah warns.

“Fine, then, Dad, you explain-”

“Stiles, I promise, I’m not going to destroy the station or your dad’s house in the three days he’s in Saratoga."

“Our house,” Noah quietly says.

“No, but you could take three days off and go with him.”

“Stiles, do you notice how neither Jordan or I are questioning why your boyfriend is having dinner with Chris Argent while you’re having it with us?”

“Well, that’s easy enough. For all the good Argent’s done in helping establish a better relationship between hunters and innocent supernatural people, there is never going to be a point where having a meal with him is going to be anything but a torturous experience. Derek can handle it better than I can. But taking a sort of mini-vacation in Saratoga-”

“We’re going on vacation this summer,” he interrupts. “Your dad’s going to be in-and-out of meetings in Saratoga, and someone needs to make sure that Deputy Shelton doesn’t take over the station while he’s gone.”

He’s not sure she won’t try come this summer, but whether this is typical of all wendigoes or just her, Shelton’s powers noticeably wane during hotter weather, and she’s prone to headaches and rashes. As long as someone puts her broom up where she can’t reach it, the station should be safe.

“And we don’t need to justify our arrangements with you,” Noah adds.

“Yeah, you do. But I’m dropping it, now.”

…

Changing into one of the t-shirts he sleeps in, Noah says, “I’m sorry for Stiles.”

“It’s okay.” When Noah gets into bed, Jordan wraps an arm around his legs. “And don’t worry: I really will protect the station and not throw any wild parties here.”

“Good to know.” Finishing setting the alarm, Noah turns off the lights, and Jordan rolls onto his back. When Noah kisses him and settles his arm over Jordan’s chest, Jordan turns on the TV and sets the timer. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Jordan says.

…

Part of the reason Jordan and one of his fellow deputies, Méndez, are good friends is: Jordan is smart enough not to be talked into half of the crazy ideas Méndez has.

“A strip club? I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but I have a boyfriend. We live together.”

“Oh, come on. You’re planning to spend the next three days sitting at home pining?”

“No. There’s not going to be any pining, and if you want to do something that doesn’t involve semi-naked people dancing around in a place full of alcohol, I might be open to it.”

“You and the sheriff are so boring."

“How’s your second divorce working out,” he counters.

“Low blow. Can you even get drunk?”

“Not like I used to. Large amounts of alcohol gets me buzzed, but it never lasts long.”

“There’s nothing wrong with going to a strip club while you’re involved with someone, as long as you don’t actually do anything.”

Accepting the files Shelton hands him from Filing Room C with a thanks, he responds, “When it comes to other people, I actually agree with you. But not when it comes to me, and what you call boring, I’m incredibly happy to have. Besides, Sheriff Stilinski wouldn’t go after me if he and I broke up, but do you want to be caught in the awkwardness of us not working out? Sure, he wouldn’t go after you, either, but that sort of atmosphere isn’t exactly ideal for career advancement.”

“Can I, at least, come over for dinner and crash on the couch?”

“You can come over for dinner,” he answers.

…

After Méndez is gone, Jordan gets a fresh blanket and pillow from the hallway closet and settles down on the couch.

…

He’s just about to head out for work when Noah’s landline rings, and seeing the caller I.D., he answers, “Stilinski residence.”

“Sheriff Stilinski?”

“No, uh, he’s out of town on business. Could I take a message?”

“This is June Winters from Goodwater Assisted Living. I need Sheriff Stilinski to call me as soon as possible.”

“This is about his dad?” Jordan feels his good mood rapidly slipping away. Noah’s only had to deal with stuff involving his dad a few times since they got together, but those few times haven’t been good.

“I’m sorry, it’s something I can only discuss with the sheriff.”

“I’m his husband, Jordan Parrish. Noah’s going to be out of town for about two more days. If there’s something that needs to be done for Elias, he’d want me to know.”

Before the words are even fully out, he wonders what he’s doing and why he’d even say such a thing. Never mind the fact someone’s unlikely to believe such a thing over the phone with no verification-

“Oh! I’m sorry, Mr, uh, Parrish?”

The words come out before he can stop them and try to clear things up: “Yeah, we kept our own names.”     

“It’s just, we were unaware the sheriff had remarried.”

“It’s not something he thought his dad needs to or would even want to know.”

Based on the small sound she makes, he guesses she understands exactly what he means and that her feelings are about as warm towards Elias Stilinski as Noah’s are. He’s never met the man, but for all he feels amazement towards Noah every time he sees his chest and feels the raised scar tissue, he also feels this low, deep but undeniable hatred for the man who put them there.

“I’m sorry, Mr Parrish, but Elias died earlier this morning. We haven’t established exact time and cause of death, but we have every reason to believe it was peaceful and that he simply never woke up from when he went to bed last night.”

“Okay- um. Look, I don’t know how soon Noah can get back. He’s supposed to be there for another two days. What do I need to do until he does?”

“Elias’s body was transferred to a nearby hospital. They can keep him in the morgue for a few days until he can come talk to us and them.”

“Good. Thank you. I’ll call him and let him know.”

…

He’s not sure he’s relieved or not when he gets Noah’s voicemail.

“Hey, uh, Stiles is fine. There’s nothing wrong. Well- I need to talk to you. This just isn’t something I can leave in a voicemail, but please, don’t worry. Just call me as soon as you can. I love you.”

…

He’s having lunch with Méndez when his phone rings. Excusing himself, he goes outside to answer.

“Jordan?”

“I got a call from your dad’s nursing home this morning. Technically, they called the house, but- I’m sorry, Elias is dead.”

Noah exhales. “But you and Stiles are okay?”

“Yeah, we’re both fine. I haven’t told him anything.”

“Don’t,” Noah says. “I always made sure Elias wasn’t any part of his life, and that isn’t going to change now.”

“Got it.”

“Thank you for telling me. I’ll leave tonight, head back. Do you know what happened?”

He explains. “What about you? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll call you when I get ready to leave.”

“Okay. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

…

In the morning, he wakes to the sound of Noah coming in.

Rubbing his eyes against the light, he sits up. “Hey.”

“Hey yourself. You’re sleeping on the couch?”

Getting up, he puts his hand on the side of Noah’s neck. “You okay?”

Letting out a shuddery breath, Noah nods. “Yeah. This could stand to be simpler, but I’m mostly okay.”

Jordan pulls him into a hug. “I’m here.”

…

They make plans to go down to the nursing home and hospital tomorrow, and Noah meets privately with Stiles to explain what’s going on.

At night, he wraps an arm over Noah’s chest and is almost asleep when he hears, “Jordan?”

“What is it?”

“Why were you sleeping on the couch? You’ve done this before, when I worked night shifts, but I’d never really stopped to think about it before now.”

“I sleep better on the couch when you’re not here. I can smell you in bed, but without you here, it doesn’t feel right.”

Noah strokes his back. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“What’s there to tell? When I was living in my apartment, half the time, I fell asleep on my couch anyways. Definitely prefer your bed with you in it, though.”

Chuckling, Noah kisses his forehead.

“Love you,” Jordan says.

“I love you, too.”

…

Waking up early, he fixes breakfast.

Coming into the kitchen, a bleary-eyed Noah says, “You didn’t need to do this.”

Scoffing, Jordan kisses him and hands him a cup of coffee.

…

Shaking Noah’s hand, Goodwater’s director says, “Sheriff Stilinski, I’d like to offer my sympathy.”

“Thank you. This is Deputy Parrish; he’s going to help me go through Elias’s effects.”

“Of course. If you need anything, please, let us know.”

They’re left alone, and he asks, “Have you already called Father O’Neal? Do you want me to for you?”

“He’s not doing the funeral. My father had a complicated relationship with God. When the dementia started to set in but he was still largely himself, he made it clear more than once that he wanted a secular burial.”

Hesitating, he asks, “And what about you? How are you feeling about all this?”

In the past, Noah always withdrew after dealing with his dad. He wasn’t angry or mean about it; he’d just isolate himself as much as possible. So far, this hasn’t happened, but it’s only been a little over a day since the news.

“In complete honesty, relief is the main thing I’m feeling. As much as I- I didn’t want him dead. But now that he is, I know he’s not going to ever find a way to mess up my kid’s life. Stiles only saw him a few times when he was very young, and I know he never hurt him, but you know how, sometimes, little kids can sense and pick up things?”

He nods.

“I think Stiles might have. He loved his grandma, but he never showed any interest in Elias. Never asked any questions, never, from what I know, tried to find out anything about him on his own. But I was still always afraid that Elias would pop into his life and somehow hurt him, mess things up for him.”

Finding a black-and-white picture, Jordan feels a new tangle of complicated emotions.

Wearing a cowboy hat and tiny cop uniform, Noah is sitting on a rocking horse and grinning toothily with the few teeth he has at the camera. Sitting on the floor next to him with a hand on his shoulder is Elias. Based on the date written on the back, Noah was about four or five.

If he didn’t know about Elias- it should be nothing but a sweet picture of a cute little kid and his dad. Unfortunately, he can’t help but wonder if Noah had unseen bruises on his tiny little body underneath the uniform, if his mom had taken the picture with the camera near a black eye, if Noah had been yelled at or worse shortly after the picture was taken.

Seeing Noah is occupied, he quietly slips the picture into his wallet.

“I appreciate you being here,” Noah suddenly says.

“You know better than that.”

Nodding, Noah comes over, and putting a hand on the back of Jordan’s neck, he says, “I do, but all the same: I know how lucky I am to have you, and I want you to know that.”

Jordan kisses him. “Personally, I think I got the better end of the deal. Whichever of us is luckier, though, I think you’re pretty much stuck with me until the end of the line, sheriff.”

Noah smiles. “Sounds good.”

…

They’re leaving when a voice calls, “Sheriff Stilinski!”

An older black woman comes up. “I’m sorry, but there’s a form we forgot to give you.”

“No problem." Taking it and a pen, he sets it on a nearby table. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been here for any significant amount of time. Got any good restaurant recommendations?”

“We have a little bit of everything around here. What are you and your deputy in the mood for?”

Glancing over, Noah asks, “Jordan?”

“Oh!”

They both jump.

“I’m sorry," she says. "Jordan Parrish? I’m June Winters, we spoke on the phone. I didn’t realise you and your husband worked together.”

“Husband,” Noah repeats.

The hellhound part of him always refuses to open up a portal to the gates of Hell to suck him into during situations like this.

Thankfully, she doesn’t notice Noah’s brief, clear confusion, and Noah quickly reverts back to a neutral expression and body language.

“It’s not a problem,” he says. “Thank you for telling me.” As opposed to asking for proof, and then, telling my boyfriend-slash-boss I’m going around lying about the status of our relationship, he doesn’t add.

Come to think of it, there probably should be stricter policies in place for verifying such things.

…

In the car, Noah gives him a quizzical look. “Husband?”

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t exactly thinking. They called the house, and she wouldn’t speak to anyone but you. I guess I thought she might be willing to talk to another family member, and legally, a spouse is.”

“Good thinking,” Noah comments.

He relaxes a little. “You’re not mad?”

Smiling, Noah shakes his head. “No. I’m glad you got her to talk to you.”

…

Jordan’s half-watching some old sitcom when Noah asks, “Jordan?”

Turning on his side, he props himself up. “Yeah?”

Setting his book down, Noah takes off his reading glasses. “Have you ever given the idea of us getting married any thought?”

It’s not a trick question, but it feels like one.

“I think the idea of marriage probably crosses the mind of most people in serious, committed relationships.”

At Noah’s look, he sighs. “Yeah, I have. But it’s not a step I ever see us taking.”

“No? Why not?”

Part of the reason, a part he won’t be voicing aloud, is he knew there was a good chance Noah wouldn’t be open to the idea. A large part of Noah’s heart is always going to be with Claudia. When Noah said _forever_ to her, Jordan has no doubt he truly meant it, and as much as he can, Noah’s moved on, but taking such a big step with another person when she was supposed to be the first, last, and only person he took it with-

“In this day and age, it’s not really necessary for couples anymore. And, uh, to be honest, while I wouldn’t have any objections to being married to you, I’m not sure marrying you would be something I could be comfortable with.”

Taking in the look on Noah’s face and replaying the words, he realises how confusing they are and how they might come across.

“I’m going to try to rephrase that. You’re vaguely Catholic, and I’m agnostic. I wouldn’t have a problem promising publicly, promising in front of people we know and love, to always love and be faithful to you. The second, that promise was implied when we became serious. Now, I love you, and I hope you’re the last person I’m ever with.”

“And I’m so grateful I followed my instincts and came to Beacon Hills. Meeting you is one of the best things that’s ever happened to me. So, I wouldn’t mind telling people all that.”

He sits up. “I know you and Claudia shared the same faith in God, and I’m glad you found someone to share that with in her. I sincerely think it’s good that you stood up in a church and made promises in God’s name and thanked him for her. I’m glad she did the same for you. I’d never want to belittle or diminish your faith, Noah.” 

“The thing is, though, even if it were proven to me that there is a deity out there who did create everything, my automatic reaction to that wouldn’t be worship and love. To be honest, there’s a good chance it’d be condemning, and even if it weren’t, there’s a long list of questions that’d need to be answered to my satisfaction if I were even to give him/her/it a chance. I’m not going to promise this entity that I don’t even know if it’s real or not to always love and be faithful to you. As grateful as I am for you, I’m not going to thank this potentially non-existent entity for you. For bringing us together.”

With a thoughtful look on his face, Noah nods.

…

A week after Elias is buried, they come home after dinner with Stiles and Derek, and after Jordan manages to fix Shelton’s computer and Noah is done through going over the week’s reports, Noah sits down next to him on the couch.

“Is your agnosticism and my faith the only reason you have for not considering marriage?”

“It’s a big one.”

“What are the others?”

Leaning against him, he asks, “Why does it matter?”

“Have you ever wanted something that you didn’t know you wanted until you were presented with the possibility of having it?”

“Sure,” he answers. “In a way, that’s what you were. I realised I had a crush on you before anything happened, but it was fine. Easy enough to ignore. I never really imagined anything happening. Then, after that first time we slept together, I wanted you so badly, but I managed to put all that in the back of my head. When we actually started sleeping together, though, I didn’t realise it or just wouldn’t let myself admit it, but falling in love with you wasn’t really something I had an option of avoiding. It was happening.”

“If we got married, we could have a secular ceremony.”

Sitting up, he studies Noah. “Are you saying you want to get married?”

“I’m not really sure what to make of your surprise.”

He’s always tried not to bring Claudia up. He’s never minded when Noah does, but aside from a few times when he had to, he’s always tried to not be the one who did. The fake version of her not counting, he never met her. He hates the pain Noah and Stiles suffered from losing her, but he can’t deny that, if they hadn’t, he and Noah never would have happened.

He traces around Noah’s left ring finger. “You were still wearing your ring when I first came here. It was years before you took it off. I wouldn’t care if you still wore it, but just because you decided to take it off- After losing Claudia, I assumed marriage was probably something you’d never do again.”

Sighing, Noah pulls Jordan against him. “Yeah, uh, for a long time, I thought the same. I figured that, if I ever did remarry, it’d be more of a convenience thing. Me and a woman close to me in age, both liking each other enough to spend our twilight years together.”

Jordan feels the slight rumble of Noah’s chest when Noah laughs. “I had no idea what was in store when you first came here. This bright-eyed, polite kid, you came off as a little shy, at first.”

“I wasn’t a kid.”

“Yeah, you really were. You started to show the steel you had inside, though, and the genuine compassion. It turned out you had a hell of a sense of humour. I knew that you liked me, but I didn’t know that it went deeper. I really thought there was a good chance of you and Lydia happening.”

“She was my first real friend when I came to town,” he says.

“That first night- afterwards, I was terrified. I’d never been with a man before, never been with anyone since Claudia died, and being completely honest, I wasn’t sure what either of our motivations were for it happening.”

“I know,” he says. “I’ve always understood all that.”

“I bought rings.”

Startled, he sits up and turns to face Noah. “What?”

Shifting, Noah’s expression is mostly wary. “If not wanting a religious ceremony and not thinking I’d ever be willing and ready to take such a step again are the only reasons, I think we should talk more about getting married.”

He doesn’t stop to think before he finds himself responding, “What other reasons would there be?”

Oh, he realises. All he’d been trying to do was find out what was going on with Noah’s dad, and then, trying to make sure his way of doing that didn’t jeopardise what they had. Now, though, realising there’s actually a possibility of being married to Noah-

Exasperation taints the realisation when he takes in the familiar look on Noah’s face.

Leaning over, he kisses him. “Is there any chance you’re ever going to get over this? Yes, you’re older than me. Sure, there’s a possibility this could cause issues in the future. So could me being a hellhound. We’re still not sure what all that might entail. Hunters like Monroe are probably always going to be a threat that could strike again at any time, and as much as I don’t like to think about it, our job can be dangerous, and there’s a possibility one or both of us could be seriously hurt or even die too early. ”

“But I love you, Noah, and I don’t want anyone else. Only you. I’m not going to want someone closer to my own age. I’m not limiting myself by choosing to be with this great, handsome, funny guy who’s always made me feel so good and who I make happy in turn.”

Noah kisses him, and it deepens. When it breaks, Noah says, “I’ll keep trying.”

“Good.”

“Want to see the rings?”

“Yes.”

In the bedroom, Noah digs them out of his safe, and Jordan wonders how long he’s had them and when he bought them. He has the combination, but he’s never opened it except for when Noah’s asked him to either get something out or check on something inside. Barring an emergency, he never will open it without such a request.

Opening the the box, he sees two matching strong, beautifully made black rings.

“They’re made out of Tungsten, one of the most heat-resistant metals there is.”

Picking up the one that looks to be his size, he tests the feel under his fingers and on his palm. “Does this mean Stiles knows?”

“No, uh, I talked to Derek. He promised not to say anything.”

It’s not as if he ever forgets why and how much he loves Noah, but there are times when he’s reminded how strong the feelings actually are.

“Almost any judge in the county would be happy to marry us, and we could keep it small.”

Noah sounds almost painfully hopeful, but more than this, he sounds like he does when he’s trying to make a case and convince someone of something, and Jordan’s not sure how he can think Jordan’s answer will be anything other than yes.

Digging the other out, he takes Noah’s hand and feels everything inside him reacting when the ring easily slides on. Bringing Noah’s hand up, he kisses it before letting go and holding his own ring out. “Here.”

The ring is firm around his finger, and he decides he likes the weight of it.

“We can talk more about the wedding, later. Right now, I’m hoping my fiancé wants to be with me as much as I want to be with him.”

Laughing, Noah kisses him, and they quickly end up on the bed.

…

They come in late, and no one takes any special notice of this fact.

However, he and Méndez are working on reports when Méndez suddenly asks, “What’s that?”

He realises he’s been twisting at the ring and occasionally sliding it off and back on.

“Proof marriage is about to be yet another thing I can do better than you,” he answers.

…

Once the station knows, their plans on how to deliver the news to Stiles become moot.

Despite his best efforts not to be, he’d been a little uneasy about how Stiles might react. Approving of him and his relationship with Stiles’s dad- dating and even living together are different from marriage, the thing Noah shared with Stiles’s mom.

Stiles pulls him into a hug. “Congratulations. I know my dad’ll make you happy. Just always take care of him and remember how lucky you are, okay?”

“I will,” he promises.

…

“What about your dad,” Noah asks.

He shakes his head. “No point in telling him.”

His dad is retired in Florida. He usually manages to call Jordan every Christmas. Unlike Elias, his dad’s never been abusive, and when Jordan’s mom left when he was barely walking, his dad tried. His trying wasn’t much, but the fact he did means something.

He loves his dad, but they’re never going to be close. He joined the army at seventeen, helped pay for his dad’s houseboat with his bonus, and his takeaway from those Christmas calls is being glad his dad’s still alive.

“Derek brought up the possibility of inviting Chris Argent.”

“If it’s okay with you, it’s okay with me,” he says. “He was a big help when I was first coming into my powers.”

Judge Raye, a staunch atheist who gladly officiates secular weddings, is going to marry them in the station next month. They’re going to write their own vows. Despite Stiles and Méndez’s best attempts, there isn’t going to be any bachelor parties.

…

Lydia flies in a week before the wedding, and upon arrival, she announces he’s going to stay in her suite with her until the wedding.

His explanations of why he isn’t result in her ignoring him and focusing on getting Noah to agree.

“I’d forgotten how terrifying she can be,” Noah says.

Laughing, Jordan presses closer against him.

“I think, if we want to get married in six days, it might be a good idea for you to leave with her after dinner tomorrow.”

Jordan doesn’t think she’d go as far as actually sabotaging the wedding, but- “Are you sure you’d be okay with that?”

“Yeah.” Noah gently squeezes his neck, and when he adjusts himself to look at Noah’s face, Noah says, “I’m glad she’s always been such a good friend to you.”

“I’ll pack up tomorrow, then.” Tracing the scars on Noah’s chest and kissing them, he says, “I almost can’t believe it’s only six days until I’ll be sleeping next to my new husband.”

Chuckling, Noah adjusts their positions and kisses him. “Neither can I. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

He falls asleep with Noah’s warm, strong arm wrapped around him.

…

After his stuff is packed in her rental, Lydia links her arm through his. “I’m glad you’ve seen sense, Jordan. I promise, you won’t regret this.”

“I could be enjoying the limited amount of time I have with my fiancé. Oh, and by the way, if I keep you up, that’s on you. I don’t really sleep well without Noah.”

“You can sleep with me if you need to,” she says.

Quickly looking around and grateful he doesn’t see anyone, he says, “I know what you mean, but please, don’t say things like that. In case you’ve forgotten, this is a fairly small, gossip-loving town.”

Looking at him with quirked lips and amused eyes, she says, “Sweetie. Please. You had your chance years ago, before the sheriff ever saw you as anything but this practically jailbait deputy with an eager-beaver need to please his boss. One thing I won’t stand for is the implication I’d ever be someone’s second best. I’m crystal on the fact, if it were literally possible for people to hang the stars, you’d only care about the ones the sheriff hung, despite the fact, based on objective merit alone, I’d be winning awards and receiving accolades for my ability.”

“You definitely would,” he agrees.

…

He’s not allowed to call Noah, but after establishing via text Noah finds the idea of him being Lydia’s platonic bedmate amusing and is okay with it, he ends up pressed against her on one of the room’s two queen-sized beds.

“Have you done a pre-nup?”

“Yeah. Don’t worry. As optimistic as I am and as romantic as I want this to be for us, we’re both staying practical when we need to be.”

“Good. How’s it feel, being engaged?”

“It’s hard to put in words. I’ve never been this happy.” He hesitates. “I’m also a little nervous. As much as I want this, part of me’s afraid.”

“From what I understand, that’s completely normal.” She squeezes his hand. “What exactly are you afraid of?”

“That it won’t work for some reason. That I’ll be bad at it, be a bad husband, that he’ll realise he made a big mistake he needs to undo as quickly as possible. That I’ll come up short to Mrs Stilinski. That I’ll lose him like he lost her. That the hellhound part of me is going to screw this up for us. That someone like Monroe will reappear.”

He sighs. “Sometimes, I worry about Stiles. He and Derek aren’t travelling all the time and ending up in dangerous situations like they used to, but if something ever happens to him- That’d be horrible enough on its own, but I don’t think I could do anything to help Noah. It’d be the end of us, and likely,” he shudders, “the end of him.”

Turning on her side, she kisses his cheek. “All these fears are normal. Some of them are baseless, but some of them, if they do happen, you’ll just need to deal with them then. You know I’ll always try to help you when you need it.”

“I know. Thank you. And it’s the same with you.”

She nods. “Don’t let them overwhelm you, Jordan. Focus on how happy you are and how much happier you’re going to be soon.”

“With you here, I don’t think I’m going to have much of a choice.”

“That’s right,” she brightly says.

…

Despite how limited their interactions have been, he’s seen Noah every day, but now, looking at him-

He remembers the first time he walked into Beacon Hills’s Police Station to meet Sheriff Stilinski. He guesses, in some ways, he really was still something of a kid. The sheriff had been vaguely intimidating: Nice enough, showed signs of having a good sense of humour, but imposing with his calm detachment and the almost amused way he handled Jordan’s attempts to contain his nervousness and energy.

Even after the sheriff started trusting him and he was clued into why the sheriff could be so mysterious at times- by then, he’d already developed something of a crush, but there’s no way he could have ever accepted the idea he’d one day be marrying this particular man.

Now, though, he is. Noah Stilinski is about to be his husband. He’s about to be married, and circumstances willing, he’s going to spend a long life being Noah’s and having Noah.

Squeezing Noah’s hand and smiling, he feels his heart beating painfully fast at the smile on Noah’s face.

“Welcome, family, friends and loved ones,” Judge Raye says. “We gather here today to celebrate the wedding of Noah Stilinski and Jordan Parrish, to share in this formal commitment they make to one another, to offer love and support to this union, and to allow Noah and Jordan to start their married life together surrounded by the people dearest and most important to them.”

“Two people in love do not live in isolation. Their love is a source of strength with which they may nourish not only each other but also the world around them. And in turn, we, their community of friends and family, have a responsibility to this couple. By our steadfast care, respect, and love, we can support their marriage and the new family they are creating today.”

“Noah and Jordan, no ceremony can create your marriage. Only you can do that, through love and patience, dedication and perseverance, talking and listening, and by helping, supporting, believing in each other through tenderness and laughter, through learning to forgive and learning to appreciate your differences, and by learning to make the important things matter, and to let go of the rest. What this ceremony can do is to witness and affirm the choice you make to stand together as lifemates and partners.”

“Now, I ask you, Noah Stilinski, are you here to knowingly, willingly, and happily marry Jordan Parrish in front of these witnesses?”

“Yes,” Noah answers. “I am.”

“Now, I ask you, Jordan Parrish, are you here to knowingly, willingly, and happily marry Noah Stilinski in front of these witnesses?”

He’s surprised but grateful his voice isn’t hoarse or cracked when he answers, “Yes, I am.”  

“The grooms have already exchanged rings but would now like to exchange vows. Noah.”

Noah takes his hand. “When we first started talking about marriage, we talked about my belief in God and your agnosticism. It’s never really been an issue between us, because, we share faith in other things. We both believe in the power of friends and family and that the latter isn’t always a matter of blood or even paper granting legal recognition. We’re both dedicated to the law and serving and protecting our community.”

“You and I didn’t exactly come together in the most conventional of ways, and we, me more than you in some instances, both made mistakes along the way. But when it comes to all the mistakes and pain we suffered in getting here, I’m not standing here to focus on them. I know you’re as thankful for me as I am to God for you and for any part He might have played in bringing us together.”

“If you’ll have me, what I intend to focus on now is you, my son, Stiles, and me. I know there will be more mistakes and pain along the way, because, we’re both people, but as much as possible, I’d plan to focus on making you happy and continuing to build a life with you. I love, trust, and respect you and promise to always be faithful, to try to support you, and to dedicate myself fully to you and our family until the day I die.”

He’s not going to break down and cry in public on his wedding day.

If he does, though, this had better not be the one time the hellhound part of him decides to open a portal to suck him into the gates of Hell.

“Jordan?”

Letting go of Noah’s hand, he reaches out and takes the other. “I’d say we were about even in the mistake department.  You and I have always respected one another, but there have been times in both of our lives when we didn’t trust one another. We’ve had different ideas on what protecting and serving our community means, but challenging each other, learning when we needed to stand down and when we needed to hold firm, made us both better. I’ve had to learn how to handle it when I was wrong, and I’m glad that it was you who was a big part of that process.”

“I didn’t properly meet Stiles until after I’d already been here for some time. After I did, when he wasn’t terrifying me, he reminded me of you. Now, you’re right. I’m as grateful to all our friends and family, especially him, for being there for us as we found our way to here as you are to God. I’m grateful for you and whatever circumstances brought us together.”

“You make me so happy, and I hope I can always give you back the same happiness. I love, trust, and respect you, and if you’ll have me, I promise to always be faithful, to try to support you, and to dedicate myself fully to you, your son, and our family until the day I die.”     

“Noah and Jordan, you have come here today of your own free will, and in the presence of family and friends, have declared your love and commitment to each other. You have exchanged vows. By the power of your love and commitment to each other, and by the power vested in me by the state of California, I now pronounce you married. You may now share your first kiss as a married couple.”

 _I’m married_ , floats through his head as he kisses Noah.

“Congratulations. Friends and family, I now present to you the newly married couple. Let no obstacle but death tear them asunder.”

…

When they get back home from their honeymoon, he wakes up to the alarm, smiles at the sight of the ring on his husband’s finger, and enjoys the weight of his own on his finger.

**Author's Note:**

> I got the idea of Tungsten rings from the fic Going to the Chapel by Bunnywest: http://archiveofourown.org/works/11248983/chapters/25144320.


End file.
